Tag: Hareshaw Linn

I love Hareshaw Linn, so much so have that I have written about the plants there several times on this blog (see here and here). There is just something about remote but lovely dene, with its ancient woodland flora and impressive waterwall that makes me incredibly happy. Despite frequent visits, each time I travel there I manage to see something new and worth talking about so, despite a little repetition, here we are again!

Last weekend, Matt and I had run out of ideas for new places to visit in the local area, so with ferns in mind, we decided to return to our favourite local haunt for a walk along the Hareshaw Burn. Setting out from Bellingham, the walk into the dene was fairly uneventful, apart from the appearance of Downy Currant Ribes spicatum in scrub near the car park and an impressive patch of Good-King-Henry Blitum bonus-henricus in grassland about 100 metres into the walk. Both are elusive plants in the area.

Reaching the dene, we were immediately greeted by a burst of colour from countless woodland flowers, a welcome change given our tendency to visit later in summer, when most of the blooms have faded. The bluebells and anemones had long since passed, but in their place we found plenty of Sanicle Sanicula europaea, along with Wood Crane’s-bill Geranium sylvaticum and Water Avens Geum rivale. Slightly more interesting was the presence of several patches of Hybrid Avens Geum × intermedium, distinguishable by its yellow colouring inherited from its other parent, Wood Avens Geum urbanum.

A little further into the dene, these relatively common woodland flowers faded into insignificance with the discovery of perhaps the day’s most exciting find: Herb-paris Paris quadrifolia. This rare and rather special plant typically grows only in the high quality woodlands and it is a joy to behold under any circumstances. I seem to be on a lucky streak with this species, having already encountered it this year at Letah Woods and Morpeth. However, while I knew it existed somewhere in the area, the Hareshaw population was entirely new to me. We came across a great many plants scattered across an area of about five metres, though realistically there could have been many more.

Prying ourselves away from the Paris, the next portion of the walk brought a few other interesting woodland plants. Common Cow-wheat Melampyrum pratense was a particularly nice find, and a species I rarely encounter, and plenty of Yellow Pimpernel Lysimachia nemorum was also seen along the path edges.

The grasses too were well worth a look with several ancient woodland indicators found in good quantity. By far the most abundant was False Brome Brachypodium sylvaticum, but we also noted Hairy-brome (Bromopsis ramosa), Wood Melick Melica uniflora and Giant Fescue Schedonorus giganteus. The most interesting grass, however, was Wood Fescue Drymochloa sylvatica. This rare species is limited in distribution to just a few parts of the UK, where it grows on near-vertical cliffs, rocky slopes and beside waterfalls. Northumberland supports one of the largest populations, with a strong concentration of sites along the River Tyne.

But what about the ferns? The steep-sided banks of the Hareshaw Burn and Hareshaw Linn are notable for supporting a range of uncommon – and in some cases, extremely rare – ferns. As we wandered along, we spotted many of the more commonplace species with relative ease, including Broad Buckler-fern Dryopteris dilatata, Lady-fern Athyrium filix-femina, Borrer’s Male-fern Dryopteris borreri and Male-fern Dryopteris filix-mas.

Much more exciting, however, was the presence of two rather uncommon ferns typically associated with shaded, humid woodlands like this: Beech Fern Phegopteris connectilis and Oak Fern Gymnocarpium dryopteris. Both are found predominantly in upland areas and tend to grow in moist, undisturbed settings, often on steep banks. Beech Fern in particular is a striking plant, easily recognised by its erect and distinctive ‘rabbit ear’ leaflets, which set it apart from all other species.

Also of note on the fern front was a small buckler-fern found on a steep bank beside the path. On closer inspection, it turned out to be Narrow Buckler-fern Dryopteris carthusiana – a species I must admit to having overlooked on all my previous visits to the site. It can be distinguished from the larger and more abundant Broad Buckler-fern by its uniformly pale scales and its rhizomatous habit, with fronds pointing in separate directions. This contrasts with the typical shuttlecock appearance of the latter species.

We also recorded Hard Shield-fern Polystichum aculeatum along this stretch, but failed to find the hoped-for Lemon-scented Fern Oreopteris limbosperma.

Eventually, we reached the picturesque waterfall at Hareshaw Linn and after a spot of lunch, set about exploring the ferns growing on the steep limestone cliffs nearby. The rarest fern on site turned out to be the easiest to find, with hundreds of specimens of Lobed Maidenhair Spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes subsp. pachyrachis spotted during our short visit. I’ve written about this attractive little fern before, but suffice it to say that Hareshaw Linn is the only place in Northumberland where this subspecies can be seen.

Also present on the falls, though far rarer, was Green Spleenwort Asplenium viride – seen clinging to the cliff face. This species appears to be just barely hanging on here. Brittle Bladder-fern Cystopteris fragilis was thankfully more widespread and added a final touch of interest before we turned for home.